Winter Scents
by Lara1221
Summary: A series of chronological but unconnected winter one shots centered around characters that correlate to elements of a perfume: Armani Code Luna. Genre changes. 1) Petitgrain - Peter doubts his friends. 2) Bergamot - Arthur comforts his son. 3) Orange - Fred is sick and hates mistletoe. 4) Pear - Filius chats with some professors late at night.
1. Introduction and Index

**Disclaimer for whole story: **not mine. All characters and elements were created by JK Rowling and I take no claim to them. Also, super creds to Safari (wouldtheywriteasongforyou) for this awesome first chapter Drabble index idea.

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This _collection_ is one inspired by Ralinde's Perfumers Competition on HPFC. Each drabble / one shot is based on characters that correlate to scents found in the perfume I've chosen: Armani Code Luna, to the strength that I've chosen: a Kplus-rated collection. The first four stories are top notes, the next three are heart notes, and the final four are base notes: less than 500 words each, 500-1000 words each, and 1000-2000 words each, respectively.

In addition, this collection will comprise drabbles and one-shots that can all stand alone as individual stories. They are not connected in anyway. However, they will move in chronological order, through the canon HP timeline. Also, each one will be based on the day that I decide to write them, just in the year that they are set, so all of them will take place in the winter. For example, the first drabble was started on January 1, 2015 (Happy New Year, by the way!), so it will take place on January 1, 1978.

Winter Scents

**Top Notes**

1\. Petitgrain, January 1st - _They Were There_: Peter Pettigrew receives help from his friends in the New Year, and he barely considers them friends anymore. (Character: Peter)

2\. Bergamot, January 2nd - _Sons_: Bill Weasley seeks comfort from his father. (Character: Arthur)

3\. Orange, January 13th - _Mistletoe_: Fred Weasley has some post-holiday blues, and really doesn't feel well, besides. (Character: Fred)

4\. Pear, January 17th - _Endurance_: Filius, Minerva, and Severus have a late night chat, with potions and drinks involved. (Character: Flitwick)

**Heart Notes**

1\. Mirabilis - (Character: Luna)

2\. Orange Blossom - (Character: Neville)

**Base Notes**

1\. Tonks Beans - (Character: Tonks)

2\. Cedar - (Character: Kingsley)

3\. Leather - (Character: Lucius)

4\. Vanilla - (Character: Narcissa)


	2. Petitgrain - They Were There

**A/N: **This one was hard for me because I knew what I wanted it to be but getting the words out there proved difficult. In the end, I think it was good. This one was written on January 1st and takes place that day in 1978. **Written for (skip to story):**

**Perfumers comp: Armani code luna: petitgrain: **less than 500 words, t rated, Pettigrew character prompt**; hp chps comp: dark mark: **write about a death eater**; dark things comp: **scream**;**

They Were There

Firewhiskey glasses floated around the room at a rapid rate. The clock had just struck midnight, and the Gryffindors we're celebrating in the typical fashion. Throwing a party was one of James Potter's greatest talents, and convincing the professors to let them have a little fun was one of Lily Evans', and despite her initial misgivings, it just took a bit of encouragement from the girls and Remus, who she considered far more sensible than her boyfriend. Peter didn't blame her.

Peter Pettigrew had a bit of a history with drinks; though by no means a lightweight, Peter was known among his friends as the crazy drunk, and he had some sorrows to drown tonight.

A new year, a new group of friends.

Just after Christmas, Peter had left Hogwarts grounds to meet an up and coming group of radicals: the Death Eaters. At their head was a man who everyone had been fearing for the past three years: Lord Voldemort.

As he shot down another gulp of Firewhiskey, Peter thought of a most glaringly obvious fact: he was alone. His fellow Marauders thought of him as another number for the little group; he would never be as close as the other three. This midnight, he had received a kiss on the cheek from Lily, and that's all.

Anger boiled up inside him. What, truly, was he good for? Not a true Gryffindor, roudy and clever. Not a true friend, whose trust was not given. He didn't have a career path ahead of him and he wasn't particularly talented.

In the Death Eaters, he certainly wouldn't find friendship. But he would be rid of his Hogwarts history, and he would have respect, and power. He would be feared.

After all, he was just the crazy drunk.

He punched the wall with all his might.

A terrible scream ripped through him, and he collapsed to the ground.

He awoke in the Hospital Wing the next morning. His classmates had been there, and no doubt James, Sirius, and Remus had seen that he was okay. Though they had come through for him, Peter had come to realize that his friendship had never truly been valued.

(Or was he too blind to see it?)

Months later, he screamed as the Dark Mark seared his skin. No one was there.

Decisions are dangerous.


	3. Bergamot - Sons

**A/N: **I absolutely loved this one. I thought a bit about what I could do with Arthur, and the new year after Voldemort is defeated. His children would be looking for guidance, and Arthur is a fantastic father. This was written on January 2nd and takes place on that day in 1981. **Written for: (skippable)**

**Perfumers comp: Armani code luna: bergamot: **less than 500 words, t rated, Arthur Weasley character prompt**; hp chps comp: back to the burrow: **write about Bill**; **

Sons

Sometime in the middle of the night, Bill Weasley, who was ten years old and up far past his bedtime, shuffled across the floor. Up simply because he had not yet been able to sleep, he needed to talk to someone or he was going to explode. Normally, he would bother Charlie (that's what brothers were for, after all), but he was trying, briefly as a resolution, to not take the piss out of his brothers.

At least, that's what he had promised Mum and exchange for a dessert of his choice.

Trying to be as quiet as possible, not exactly his forte though he was leagues above the twins, Bill slowly pushed open his parents bedroom door. He knocked twice softly, hoping his father would stir awake and his pregnant mother would remain fast asleep.

His Mum did wake up, and he groaned softly. "Bill, sweetheart," she whispered dully, with a hint of exasperation, "what could you possibly want this late at night?"

He padded over to Mum and gave her a quick hug. She returned it and kissed his forehead. "I'm sorry. Can I just talk to Dad real quick? It's... it's important."

"That's fine. Wait downstairs, alright?"

"Okay Mum. Good night." As he left he heard his Mum nudge his Dad awake and talk to him in hushed tones.

It was only minutes before his father was at the bottom of the stairs with a drowsy smile. "What seems to be the problem?"

Bill was silent for a little bit, and then he looked up at his Dad, who had moved to look out the window at the falling snow.

"Is it true, Dad?"

"Is what true, son?" Bill moved so he was alongside him.

"When everyone was here yesterday. You and Mum — you kissed, and you and your friends and us kids, but I think I was the only one who knew what was going on, Ron's only a baby — toasted. You said it was for the New Year. A year without Voldemort. I just... somewhere, Harry Potter doesn't have any parents, and I really want to know that it wasn't all for nothing." There was something passionate in his eyes. Arthur squeezed his son's shoulder, and knelt so he could be at eye level.

"Son, do you know well everyone who was here yesterday?" Bill nodded. "They fought Voldemort. They were constantly putting their lives at risk so that Harry Potter's parents did not die in vain, and so that he, and all of our children, will have excellent lives. You're growing up, and I understand you're worried, but everything is going to be okay. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. Because even if he does come back, all of my children are never going to have to worry about that again - your Mum and I will make sure of it. My sons, and my daughter..."

"Mum is having a girl?!" Bill couldn't hide his excitement.

"Don't spoil her too much." Arthur winked. "That's my job."


	4. Orange - Mistletoe

**A/N: **So I've returned to this collection. Obviously I'm still going to keep it in the winter and it will have nothing to do with when I write, haha. Enjoy this one! **Written for: (skip) **

**perfumers comp: armani code luna: orange: **less than 500 words, t rated, Fred character prompt**; dinner table challenge: rnd 3: **fred, blue**; open cat 3: **fluff**; hogwarts comp yr 1: herbology: **write a sick!ficand **transfiguration: **write something difficult for a character, prompts: date: jan 13, adj: calculating, dialogue: "have you ever been...?", genre: humor, lwl: 111, uwl: 999, closing sentence: he smirked, sentence: I don't know *name*...**;**

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Mistletoe

"I feel like bloody hell." Fred Weasley wiped his red, clearly irritated nose.

George rolled his eyes and then shot a cheeky grin. "And you look like it, too."

"Did you come here to patronize me? Because if so, it would be lovely of you to _leave_. I'm feeling blue," Fred shot a cheeky grin of his own, but was interrupted by a sneeze.

"And I really do not care. This is about something else. You've never been one to sit in your room when you're sick. Mum would know."

"So what if it is? It's January thirteenth, and I'm sick post-holidays, is that such a sin? Leave mebe. I feel and look like a corpse. With a…cold…okay, not a good metaphor. I look like crap, I feel like crap. This is a perfectly acceptable excuse —"

"To everyone in the world besides me," George finished for him, just as Fred sneezed for what felt, to him, like the thousandth time that day.

Fred sighed, initiating another cough, to which George chuckled. "Okay, look. You know all that stupid mistletoe hanging this way and that all the way over this bloody castle? Besides stupid couples, I have seen way too many awkward situations for it to be okay. I've been avoiding it like the plague — "

"Is _that _why you were walking around like a crazy person last term?"

" — and now I have the perfect excuse to just avoid it, so please let me. It's terrifying stuff."

George stood, a look on his face that said very clearly he thought his twin had gone insane. "Have you ever been so shocked that you didn't know what to say next?"

"It's serious! Nothing good happens under mistletoe. It's wonderful to watch, but I don't want to be the one being watched. We could prank people with it, if you like. How about inescapable mistletoe? So, you know, they have to kiss."

"While that is a brilliant idea, you still need to come downstairs and enter the land of living. You're driving me insane." But there was a calculating look in George's eyes, and Fred longed to avoid his plans.

Maybe for some compensation.

"I don't know, George," Fred sighed dramatically, a lucky cough showing up for extra measure, "I just don't think I can do it." George, once again, looked disgusted by his twin, but gave in.

"Fine. Unlimited kitchens trips, brought to you by yours truly."

Fred grinned. "Deal."

George went down the stairs with Fred behind him, grinning at the girls waiting at the bottom.

Because when Fred arrived at the landing, there was mistletoe over his head, and Angelina Johnson leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.

George laughed with Angelina at the horrified look on Fred's face. He watched as his twin turned around and ascended the stairs with his hand to each cheek. He smirked.


	5. Pear - Endurance

**A/N: **So this mildly inspired by some weird tumblr post about Minerva wandering around in cat form, but mostly inspired by just chill teacher talks in an effort to humanize. I mean, what else do teachers do in the middle of winter? Vent about their students, I assumed. Anyway, hope you enjoy! **Written for (skip):**

**hogwarts school comp: yr 4: **transfiguration (change in appearance), charms (sieze and pull, banish, summon), potions (girding potion), astronomy (happens at night), divination (in between wars); prompts - words: ghost, difficult, fight, heart, gay / era: trio / year: 1991 / color: green, wood brown, white / dotw: thursday / plants: baneberry, dandelion root / actions: walk, stub a toe, cast a spell / adjectives: aggressive, speedy / phrase: better a witty fool than a foolish wit / genre: friendship / closing sentence: "I can't be..."...cocktail**; ultimate battle: **single accessory**; open cat 4: **could be canon**;**

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Endurance

"Remind me again, Filius," drawled Severus Snape, "why it is that you need this _girding_ potion, exactly. You were certainly one of the most…_energetic _professor I had."

"Well, I'm not as young as I once was, Severus! In a momentary lapse of sanity - "

"Momentary?" Severus muttered.

"Don't mumble at me," said Filius Flitwick sternly.

Severus simply rolled his eyes. Both professors stopped conversation when they heard a soft meow. Minerva McGonagall, currently a cat, wandered into the room, approaching the window where moonlight glowed through the green lakewater.

"Why hello, Minerva," commented Filius offhand. "As I was _saying, _I assigned the same date for all of my years' exams. There's a long weekend of grading after their tests tomorrow, and I'd like to be prepared."

"You have all term! I often wait a week to see them suffer."

Filius _hmpfed_. "Excuse me for wanting to return my students' grades in a timely manner."

Severus smirked as his hands speedily prepared ingredients across the wood brown preparation board. "Or hiding that you're going to a massive family reunion tomorrow night and need it to get through both drinking with your absurd relatives and the hangover that follows."

Filius registered the words and stopped walking at just the wrong time; his toe had collided with the table. "Ow!" Severus allowed himself a ghost of a chuckle, and Filius glared at him. "How did you hear about that?"

"You're a fool. You disappear on this Friday every two years, and it wasn't difficult to find out. Pomona told me. I'm guessing you couldn't procure the potion through your usual source? Grab me a pestle."

Filius cast a quick seize and pull charm, bringing the object to him and then to Severus, who began to aggressively crush. "Better a witty fool than a foolish wit."

"Please, Filius," came a new voice, and Filius jumped.

"Good heavens Minerva! Why must you always transform when we aren't looking?"

Severus had never stopped his work, now dropping baneberries and dandelion root into his cauldron, as Minerva continued: "Your wit is far and few between, my dear friend. You certainly don't lack humor, though."

"Ah yes, let the ever-gay Minerva present to us her fine wittiness," Filius said sarcastically, and Minerva laughed as Severus banished his pestle to his cabinet. Filius watched as the potion turned white as a sheet and Severus poured it into a vial, which Filius took from him with a "thank you."

Minerva was summoning glasses, firewhiskey, and a drink he didn't recognize when he looked back to her. "So, Severus, we absolutely demolished you in our marvelous Quidditch match," she said with a smile. "Would you like some?" she asked her fellow Heads as she began mixing the liquids.

Severus looked smugly at her. "Agree to disagree on that topic. And yes, please," he reached and accepted her drink.

Minerva was still grinning, and it showed her young heart. "Don't fight me on this. Harry's my secret weapon, I'm telling you. He's brilliant. But that troll... we're going to have some trouble this year." Severus nodded firmly as he drank, shaking her hand.

"You think so? And I'll have a drink as well," Filius said.

"We can't be the only one thinking it," she scoffed, then resumed drinking her cocktail."


End file.
